For those sticklers who object to this regimen as a violation of the no-equipment stipulation—what are you, trapped in a shipping container?—Okafor has a go-to airport circuit, too, no chair required: four rounds of 20 squats, 20 lunges (with each leg), and 30 bicycle crunches. Maybe you're thinking: the airport? But don't people give you weird looks? "Of course," Okafor says. "But they're usually out of shape." Spoken like a man who isn't one bit afraid to curl a chair with a towel.
3. Practice “glycogen depletion” and repletion. Once you get the hang of eating as described in rule #1, you have to start manipulating your carbohydrate intake. The key is to keep it simple: on days you don’t workout reduce carbohydrate intake, on days you do workout increase it. Doing this is like applying a blow torch to your arm fat. Just make sure you don’t go into ketosis a la Atkins—research has shown that total carbohydrate elimination is NOT necessary for maximum toning. Not to mention, the acidic breath you get from ketosis stinks!
Stretch your arms to the side and bring them back to your front, the right hand should overlap the left. This resembles an open scissors. You need to stretch them to the side again and bring them back to the front. This time your left arm should overlap your right. This is a complete rep and this exercise needs to be done in 3 sets of 10 reps every day.

You've cut your cancer risk. In a study of more than 14,800 women, those who had the highest levels of aerobic fitness were 55 percent less likely to die from breast cancer than those who were sedentary. Women considered moderately fit had about a 33 percent lower risk of developing the disease. Exercise may also help protect against endometrial, lung, and ovarian cancer, researchers say.

Jumping on the treadmill or cross trainer for 30 minutes can blow off tension by increasing levels of "soothing" brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. What's fascinating, though, is that exercise may actually work on a cellular level to reverse stress's toll on our aging process, according to a 2010 study from the University of California—San Francisco. The researchers found that stressed-out women who exercised vigorously for an average of 45 minutes over a three-day period had cells that showed fewer signs of aging compared to women who were stressed and inactive. Working out also helps keep us from ruminating "by altering blood flow to those areas in the brain involved in triggering us to relive these stressful thoughts again and again," says study coauthor Elissa Epel, an associate professor of psychiatry at UCSF.

When she's working out sans equipment, Marraccini's favorite exercises are all things core-related. "A strong core never goes out of style," says Marraccini. This makes sense, considering that having a strong and stable core is essential for both everyday movements as well as exercising. While regular crunches really only target the upper portion of your abdominals, runner's crunches work your entire core as you sit all the way up, including your obliques, lower back, hip flexor muscles, and rectus abdominis (which is what you probably think of when you think "six-pack" muscles).
And perhaps one of the best new findings about exercise — especially if you, like many people, struggle to find the time to fit it into a busy day — is that all those benefits of physical activity can be had even if you only squeeze in a few minutes of exercise a day. While doctors used to think that we needed to engage in 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day, new research is finding that we can see benefits with shorter bursts of physical activity. “As little as 15 minutes a day of high-intensity activity that leaves you breathless, like swimming, can kick start your metabolic rate and reduce body fat and increase muscle mass,” says Dr. Berger.
And you don’t need to sweat buckets to see the benefits of exercise, either. According to the physical activity guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise with two days of strength training per week yields the same health benefits as 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise with two days of strength training each week — as does a combination of moderate- and high-intensity exercise, plus two strength training workouts.
HOW TO DO IT: Stand with your feet together and hold both arms straight in front of you, palms together. Jump your feet apart, push your hips back, bend your knees and lower into a squat while pulling your arms apart and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Shift your weight over your right leg, and then your left leg, then right and left again before returning back to center and standing back up. Gradually increase your speed and range of motion throughout the set.
Well, good (bad?) news: People who have dedicated their professional lives to defying Newton's First Law (you know them as "personal trainers") don't often have the luxury of skipping a sweat session. Next time you find yourself in need of a workout but without any of the things you think you need to get one, we got them to share the best workouts and circuits and exercises you can do anyway—no gear required.
A Incorporate more of cardio in your regime in order to burn more calories. Walking or jogging can help. Yoga or using a skipping rope can also help you lose fat. Playing a sport is another great way to tone your arms. Besides being fun, Ttennis or squash are great games since they also focus mainly on your arms. Pushups, arm rotation and tricep dips are all examples of exercises without the use of weights.
Begin standing with feet together. Step the right foot forward and bend the knees into a forward lunge, keeping the right knee in line with the second toe of the right foot; extend the arms forward and drive the fingertips toward the right foot. Push off the right foot and briefly balance on the left leg, keeping the right knee bent 90 degrees and bending both elbows; the palms should be facing one another. With control, step the right foot back into a reverse lunge position, bending both knees while simultaneously reaching both arms overhead. Reverse the movement and return to the starting position. Complete a total of eight to 10 reps on the right side before switching to the left.
10. It enhances emotional well-being. Most people report that they feel calm and have a sense of well-being after they exercise. Exercise, according to one theory, releases beta-endorphin, a natural substance in the body that is hundreds of times more potent than morphine. Another theory points to serotonin as the cause of the exercise high. Increased levels of serotonin in the central nervous system are associated with feelings of well-being, heightening of appetite, and lessening of mental depression. The weight loss that accompanies exercise can also cause people to feel better about themselves.
Rough day at the office? Take a walk or head to the gym for a quick workout. One of the most common mental benefits of exercise is stress relief. Working up a sweat can help manage physical and mental stress. Exercise also increases concentrations of norepinephrine, a chemical that can moderate the brain’s response to stress. So go ahead and get sweaty — working out can reduce stress and boost the body’s ability to deal with existing mental tension. Win-win!
For an extra boost of self-love, take that workout outside. Exercising in the great outdoors can increase self-esteem even more The mental and physical health outcomes of green exercise. Pretty J, Peacock J, Sellens M, Griffin M. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK. International Journal of Environmental Health Research. 2005 October;15(5):319-37.. Find an outdoor workout that fits your style, whether it’s rock-climbing, hiking, renting a canoe, or just taking a jog in the park. Plus, all that Vitamin D acquired from soaking up the sun (while wearing sunscreen, of course!) can lessen the likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms. Why book a spa day when a little fresh air and sunshine (and exercise) can work wonders for self-confidence and happiness?
Well, good (bad?) news: People who have dedicated their professional lives to defying Newton's First Law (you know them as "personal trainers") don't often have the luxury of skipping a sweat session. Next time you find yourself in need of a workout but without any of the things you think you need to get one, we got them to share the best workouts and circuits and exercises you can do anyway—no gear required.

HOW TO DO IT: Assume a seated position with your palms loaded, hands underneath your shoulders and knees bent at 90-degrees with your feet underneath your hips. Raise your hips so your butt hovers above the ground, and then move your right hand and left foot forward. Continue this opposite-hand, opposite-food pattern as you crawl for 30 to 60 seconds. You can add difficulty by traveling backwards or side-to-side.

Before anyone’s crowned Cap’n Crunch, remember form is key. Lie on your back with the knees bent and feet flat on the floor. With hands behind the head, place the chin down slightly and peel the head and shoulders off the mat while engaging the core. Continue curling up until the upper back is off the mat. Hold briefly, then lower the torso back toward the mat slowly.
I am SO happy that you are here! This site was launched with the same intentions that drove me to write The Body Book & The Longevity Book: to merge information with action, so that we will all know how to take care of this machine that we call our bodies, from eating to moving to getting enough sleep to everything else that impacts our health and happiness. If you want to live better and feel better, you’ve got to get real, get knowledgeable and get on it. I know you can do it!
Hold that item with both your hands and lift it over your head. Your arms should be straight, as this is your starting position. Now lower the weight, by taking it behind your back. You need to reach it as low as you can. Make sure that you don’t hurt yourself. Bring up the weight above your head, again. The slower you move your arms, the more toned your arms will get. It is important to keep your upper arms close to your head and ears. Also try to practice this exercise in front of the mirror if you can, it will help you improve the style. You need to do 3 sets of 20 reps, which means you will move the item 60 items above your head. After every set you can take a rest of one minute. Increasing the weight or time after every week will help you to tone your muscles, effectively.
The biggest issue most people face in terms of the appearance of their arms isn’t a lack of muscle definition, it’s excess fat, meaning that what you’re eating is as crucial for fixing the problem as the amount you’re exercising. Instead of grabbing an electrolyte drink after your workout, try adding some grapefruit juice to your routine; researchers at Vanderbilt University found that obese study subjects who sipped a half-cup serving of grapefruit juice before meals significantly reduced their weight and BMI when compared to those who drank water instead. Fortunately, when you lose fat, it disappears all over your body, so a few sips of real grapefruit juice —the fresh, no sugar added stuff— can help you ditch those batwings for good.
If you are trying to lose flabby arms, it would help to include more protein in your diet. Protein rich food will help you build more muscle and help boost your metabolism, thus helping you burn more calories. Another reason to include more protein in your diet is that it will help you feel full for a longer time, making it easier to not cave into hunger pangs between meals. Remember, the aim is to just up the intake of protein, not limiting your entire diet to just protein. Include more of lean meats, beans, nuts, seeds, seafood and leafy vegetables to lose flabby arms.
HOW TO DO IT: Start in a high plank. Push your hips back without arching your lower back until your knees flex to about 90 degrees. Pause for a beat, then explosively extend through your knees, ankles and hips while also pulling with your upper back as you lower into the bottom of a push-up. Keep your elbows tucked into your sides to protect your shoulders. Skip the push-up and just maintain a hold if you need it to be easier.
Ginger has been used to cure many ailments, and now, researchers have found that ginger also aids weight loss. Ginger increases lactic acid production by the muscles. Lactic acid stimulates the release of the growth hormone, which results in the breakdown of fat. Therefore, adding ginger to your food or just eating a small piece of raw ginger will help you to lose weight (2).
That’s bad news, but emerging evidence shows that there are plenty of compelling reasons to start moving at any age and even if you’re ill or pregnant. Indeed, scientists are learning that exercise is, actually, medicine. “There is no pill that comes close to what exercise can do,” says Claude Bouchard, director of the human genomics laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana. “And if there was one, it would be extremely expensive.”
1. It strengthens the heart. The heart is a muscle. Like other muscles, its performance improves when it's regularly challenged by exercise. The heart responds to exercise by becoming stronger and more efficient. Strengthening the heart muscle can help ward off heart disease -- the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- even in early childhood.
Many people hit the gym or pound the pavement to improve cardiovascular health, build muscle, and of course, get a rockin’ bod, but working out has above-the-neck benefits, too. For the past decade or so, scientists have pondered how exercising can boost brain function. Regardless of age or fitness level (yup, this includes everyone from mall-walkers to marathoners), studies show that making time for exercise provides some serious mental benefits. Get inspired to exercise by reading up on these unexpected ways that working out can benefit mental health, relationships, and lead to a healthier and happier life overall.
Aerobic exercise revs up blood flow to the skin, delivering oxygen and nutrients that improve skin health and even help wounds heal faster. “That’s why when people have injuries, they should get moving as quickly as possible—not only to make sure the muscle doesn’t atrophy, but to make sure there’s good blood flow to the skin,” says Anthony Hackney, an exercise physiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Train long enough, and you’ll add more blood vessels and tiny capillaries to the skin, too.
In order to lose fat from one specific region, you need to burn more calories than you consume. This can be achieved by cutting your daily caloric intake down to 500 calories. Apart from this, you have to burn calories through exercise. It is advisable not to drastically cut down your caloric intake as this may deprive your body of energy and cause fatigue and dizziness. Hence, you should gradually cut your caloric consumption and burn more calories than usual.
Start the clock, and immediately do 10 pushups in perfect form. When you’re done with the pushups, go straight into jumping jacks until the clock reads 1:00. Then move on to the next move, spider lunges (total, not per side). Do 10 of those with good form, and then jumping jacks until the minute is up. Then move on to the next move — 10 perfect reps of the jumping lunges, and then do jumping jacks until the end of the minute. And finish up with 10 perfect walkouts.

Regular exercise has several beneficial effects on your body that can improve the function of your musculoskeletal system, your cardiovascular system, your respiratory system, your metabolism, and even your brain. Engaging in regular exercise significantly reduces your odds of developing heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, lung disease, and some kinds of cancer. People who exercise live longer, and (possibly more importantly), suffer fewer of the chronic illnesses and infirmities that often make old age difficult.

Ah, the push-up. While lunges are a unilateral exercise, push-ups are a compound exercise. Compound exercises use several muscle groups at once. This classic move engages your core, biceps, triceps, deltoids, and lower body—and that’s just to keep you stabilized. Using this many muscle groups at once causes your heart to work harder to get oxygen-rich blood to your muscles. So, in short, push-ups can also be a form of cardiovascular exercise that increases heart health.
Heart Disease and Stroke. Daily physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke by strengthening your heart muscle, lowering your blood pressure, raising your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (good cholesterol) and lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (bad cholesterol), improving blood flow, and increasing your heart's working capacity.

Exercise with a rowing machine. Using a rowing machine will help you burn calories and tone your arms. To use the machine, strap in your feet and reach forward to grab the handlebar. Keep your back straight and your knees bent. Push off with your legs and pull the handlebar toward your chest. Then, extend your arms and bend your knees again as the handlebar goes back to the starting position.[8]

Love 'em or hate 'em, you can't talk about ultra-effective no-equipment exercises without mentioning burpees (especially when there's a push-up incorporated). "The burpee with push-up is a full-body exercise that works your core, arms, quads, glutes, and hamstrings," explains Harbison. "[They also] rapidly increase your heart rate, especially if you add an explosive jump at the end of the movement." Strength, check. Cardio, check.

“Exercise of various types can help prevent osteoporosis, thinning of bones, fracture risk, and falls that are associated with fractures of the hip, spine, and wrist,” says Larry McCleary, MD, retired acting chief of neurosurgery at Denver Children’s Hospital in Colorado, and author of Feed Your Brain, Lose Your Belly. “Types of exercise that help include aerobic exercise, resistance training, and even exercises that increase balance and agility.” Tai chi may also be beneficial when it comes to improving balance and muscle strength.

McAlpine's favorite on-the-go exercise is a classic for a reason: Push-ups are one of the most effective bodyweight exercises around. "Primarily, this move will target your chest, triceps, and your anterior deltoid muscles (the front of your shoulders)," says McAlpine. It also seriously works your core. Plus, there's something that just feels badass about working on push-ups and seeing yourself improve over time. "I personally love that feeling of strength that comes from this simple move," says McAlpine.

What you can do is remove body fat from your entire body. Basically, you have to decrease your overall body fat composition if you want to lose weight from any specific place on your body. When you do that, you are going to eventually target the part of your body you want and you're going to lose body fat there. You can't just do 1000 push-ups every day and lose arm fat. Instead, you have to lose body fat in your entire body while building those arm muscles. You build up those muscles so that when your body fat percentage is low enough, they can show through.

And exercise stimulates the endocrine system and can improve reproductive function, explains Berger. The endocrine system is made up of glands that secrete hormones in the body; this system plays a key role in regulating metabolism, mood, tissue function, and sexual function. Bottom line: There are a lot of ways your sex life can get a boost from working out.

This one is obvious, right? Everyone knows things with a high sugar content (yes, sodas, cakes and pastries, we’re looking at you) is bad for health. Sugar on its own is not bad at all but in order to lose flabby arms, one has to cut down food with excessive sugar content. In order to reducing arm fat, make changes to your daily diet to cut back on added sugar. For example, reduce the amount of sugar you add to your cup of coffee or tea, instead of buying canned or bottled juices, make your own fresh fruit juice, instead of sugar loaded breakfast cereals, try porridge of oats and add some fresh fruit for a dash of sweetness.